Chapter 2: Rain

Keitaro smiled sadly at his reflection in the mirror as he adjusted his suit and tie. There was no denying it, he looked sharp. This didn't change his irritation with the clothing. He'd never much liked suits, and ties were like little nooses around the neck. But, they were professional and if he was going out for a job, professionalism was required.

"Dad would approve," he muttered. "But I think grandma wouldn't."

"Keitaro," called Naru as he came down the stairs. "Why are you dressed like that?"

He looked over at her. She was beautiful as ever, with her long brown hair and matching eyes. Would it really be so horrible for her to sound happy to see him?

"I'm looking for some work. Our finances aren't so great right now, so I'm going to get a part-time job."

"Why would a failure be searching for a job?" asked Motoko.

Keitaro raised an eyebrow at her. Of course, she was still insulting him, but at least there was something more behind it now. It wasn't just her calling him a pervert and a failure of a man. He felt like it was her way of trying to joke.

Heck at this rate we may even be friends… I'd settle on not enemies.

"Well someone took Shinobu and Su and spent all the money I'd had saved up while we were on holiday," he said pointedly.

Motoko and Kitsune had the good sense to look embarrassed and Keitaro turned to leave. As he was almost out the door Naru called him back. He turned to the brunette and she walked up to him, adjusting his tie slightly.

"Your tie is crooked," she said simply.

This isn't bad, he thought. It's soft… caring. Why can't she be like this more often?

Of course, this was another one of the false moments Naru gave him. Kitsune made a joke about newly weds and Keitaro found his head colliding with the door. Sighing, he pulled himself free and waved goodbye to the girls, plastering a fake smile on his face. It wouldn't be good for them to see him having internal conflict.

He was their manager after all.

Lost in thought, Keitaro failed to notice that he stepped right into a pail and promptly fell down the long set of stairs that lead to the Hina apartments. He pulled himself up, dusting off his one good suit, and heard the girls talking to each other.

"So unsettling," said Motoko.

Keitaro tried about a hundred restaurants and places… all he got was rejection.

"You're too dark and grey to work here."

Too dark and grey? I'm a light and lovable guy!

"No experience? Sorry son, I can't take you on."

I manage an apartment of homicidal maniacs!

"Sorry, I just took someone else on."

Keitaro sighed, dropping to his knees. This was pointless!

"Mama," he heard a little girl talking to her mother. "Did that guy get fired?"

"And now that view on me is out there," he said softly.

Finally, he passed by a bar that boasted it's need for a waiter. Amazingly, he managed to sink the interview and was working later that very day. Now, Keitaro was in no place to argue about where he would and wouldn't work, but this was not his first choice. Of sure, there was plenty of action when you were serving beer and food to several rowdy businessmen, but there was also plenty of irritation.

The cook was taking ages to get anything out, and growing tired of waiting, Keitaro hopped into the kitchen to lead a hand. It was at this exact moment that the manager came out.

"Oh, you can cook too? Good!"

"It is?" asked Keitaro, confused. "Well at least this isn't so bad. I mean, I was always studying for a living, but working for one isn't horrible."

He brought out another order and had to do a double take.

"Hey there Keitaro."

"Mi-Mitsune?!"

The oldest tenant of the Hina Apartments was already plastered.

"You're working part time?" she slurred softly. "Good, it suits you!"

"What are you doing, drinking in broad daylight?"

"Oh yeah," she said, as if just remembering. "Can you lend me some money?"

"HOW DID IT TURN INTO THIS?!"

Hell most people actually pay the hotel manager.

"My friends all left, so there's no one to pay the bill."

"I can't imagine why they left," Keitaro muttered, examining her bill.

He had to re-examine it three times to make sure the astronomical number at the bottom wasn't a mistake.

"How the hell do you owe that much?"

"You can't cover it?" she asked, looking sad.

"Not that much!"

"Just deduct it from your wages."

"I can't just do that! I do have an apartment I take care of when I'm not trying to get into college, you know?!"

"Keitaro!" said the manager, coming around the corner in a rage. "You're friends with this drunk?"

"Yeah," said Keitaro. "Sorry I'm just trying to…"

"Get out! You're fired!"

Angrily, the manager tossed both Keitaro and Mitsune out of the bar.

"Dammit! Look what you did! You just got me fired!"

"Sorry," she said, abashed. "I drank some beer, some vodka, some…"

"Kitsune," he interrupted her. "I had to work really had to get that job."

"Sorry… really. Oh, I know. I'll recommend you for another job! How does tutoring sound?"

"I'm not actually a college student… I couldn't do that to someone."

"But this is just a female's middle school course. Besides, you'd be working with someone who tutored Naru when she was a middle school brat."

"Huh?" Keitaro perked up, edger to hear about Naru's past.

"Yeah, about three years ago, Naru wasn't doing so well in school, so her parents got her a private tutor. He was very handsome, and all the girls liked him."

"Why do I not like where this goes?" muttered Keitaro.

"He was a Tokyo U student and the two of them started developing a teacher/student romance. It was so cute."

"What the hell?!"

"Yeah, he wasn't actually so great a teacher, but he was a mature man and she was just a little girl. She would've been crazy not to fall in love with him."

Fall in love?

"Who was this guy?"

"Wow, you are actually getting interested in this," said Kitsune. "I think I have a picture of him here somewhere."

Kitsune pulled out a very wrinkled photo and handed it to him. It featured Haruka, Kitsune and a younger Naru along with a man in the back. The problem was, beyond 'a man' it was hard to tell who it was. His entire face was covered by an impossibly thick beard.

"Where is his face again?"

"Sorry about that. He left for America all of a sudden, so I got really angry about it and filled in his face with a magic marker."

"So you were in love with him too?"

He looked at the Naru in the picture. She was smiling happily. She'd never smiled like that for him. Yet, the actual expression sparked something in his brain.

"Keitaro, what's wrong?" asked Kitsune.

"I've seen this expression before," he said softly.

When Naru was talking about her promise… She was smiling like that for this guy… figures.

"I'm going to head back," said Kitsune. "It's going to rain soon, I think."

"Yeah, I'm going to keep looking for a job. I'll meet you back home when I'm done."

Three more hours of searching and he couldn't get anything. 300 yen was even out of his league…

"Our economy must be shit right now. Urgh, I can't face Naru like this. I'm 20 years old, cannot find a single job and haven't had a girlfriend in all 20 years of my life! Maybe Motoko is right about me… I am a wimp of a man."

"What are you doing?" asked someone behind him. "Out here without an umbrella!"

Suddenly the rain stopped falling on his hair, and he looked up to see Naru. This was sure to lead to another one of those moments, but he felt so shitty right now he didn't care.

"No luck finding a job?"

"Not one that lasted more than an hour."

"Well things are really hard right now. Don't be so hard on yourself."

He smiled, and said, "Thanks Naru. I needed that."

"Besides," she said. "You're a three time failure, so you can't expect to get a job so quickly."

And there goes the moment.

"Besides!" he yelled standing up, having had enough. "I'm a three-time failure. I'm a wimp! I like taking pictures and reading manga! I'm a pervert! How could I possibly expect to get a job?!"

"I didn't mean it seriously," she said, straightening up.

He move towards her and the picture Mitsune had given him feel out of his pocket. Naru looked at it, realization flashing across her face.

"Hey… isn't that picture…"

"I was wondering," he said, deciding to answer the question in his mind. "The guy in this picture. He's the reason you want to go to Tokyo U, right?"

"Yep!" she said.

That same smile.

"Well then," he said happily, plastering his fake smile on. "You have a pretty good reason for wanting to get in! Oh yeah, give this back to Mitsune for me."

He turned away from her, determined not to let her see the tears that were forming. It was stupid. Of course, Naru wasn't his promised girl… he knew that… logically. He'd just always hoped there was a chance for something between them. He started to run back to the apartments and heard Naru calling after him.

He didn't look back, he couldn't. Putting a false act of happiness was hard enough when it was just a few times a day. Right now, it just wasn't with him. He got home, and closed the door behind him, letting the rain soak into his only good suit.

"Sempai!"

He couldn't pretend right now.

"Hey Shinbou," he said softly.

"Sempai, your clothes are soaked through! You're going to catch a cold for sure! Please, I'll take these, you go take a bath!"

She's a good one, thought Keitaro.

Shinobu always cared, even when the others didn't. She would be a good woman someday.

"Thanks, I'll be down in a bit."

"I'll be making some food, so don't hurry."

Keitaro sighed, lowering himself into the makeshift tub he used. It honestly was relaxing… until he sneezed.

"Shinobu's right. I've probably got a cold… more genius work from Urashima land."

Suddenly he heard Naru enter the hot springs below him. The last thing he wanted to do right now was talk to her. He wasn't actually angry, but he just didn't want to see her or have anything to do with her for just one night.

"Keitaro!" she called up to him. "Please, you didn't let me explain! Don't be angry with me!"

What was there to explain?

"I'm not angry!" he shouted back.

Fuck Naru. He'd had enough. Seriously it was every single day with this crap. She'd talk to him like a friend, lead him on, then turn around and kick him for being a pervert.

"My relationships really aren't any of your business!" she said.

Relationships?

"Shut up! If it's none of my business then just stop talking to me!"

She threw a bucket at him, beaming him squarely in the face.

"I care about you idiot!"

"Normal people don't abuse people they care about!" he shouted.

The hell with Naru, this needed to be said.

"It's your attitude that keeps you from having a job!"

"And it's your violence that keeps you from ever having an actual meaningful relationship with anyone!"

He slammed the door behind him, changing into pajamas. He lay on the floor for a long time, trying to forget everything that was happening to him. It felt like hours that he just lay there, soaking up the floor. Eventually Shinobu opened the door, holding his suit.

"Sempai… your clothes are done drying."

"Thanks…" he said, sneezing. "Why is it always like this?"

"You did catch a cold, huh? Naru caught one too, looking for you."

"Because of me?"

Great… That's all I need for the guilt train to start rolling!

He walked slowly up the stairs that lead to Naru's room, and knocked softly on the door. If nothing else, he owed her an apology for making her sick. However, he never even got the chance.

"I don't care about you anymore!" she said, striking him solidly in the face.

"Yeah, that's about what I expected. See you at dinner…"

Keitaro walked back down the flight of stairs into the kitchen, and sat down in his usual seat.

"They say the first year of marriage is the hardest, why is it I feel like hell already?"